West Kowloon Cultural Complex Competition, WKCC Design Contest, Xiqu Centre Project

West Kowloon Design Competition : WKCC Architecture Contest

WKCDA Development – Xiqu Centre : Arts Venue Competition

11 + 10 Dec 2012

West Kowloon Design Competition Winner

Winning Design Team Announced by West Kowloon Cultural District Authority for its First Arts Venue

Representative image of the concept design for the future West Kowloon Cultural District Xiqu Centre by Bing Thom Architects and Ronald Lu and Partners Company Limited :

Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

LEADING HONG KONG ARCHITECTS CHOSEN TO DESIGN XIQU CENTRE

THE FIRST ARTS VENUE IN THE WEST KOWLOON CULTURAL DISTRICT EXCEPTIONAL SHORTLIST OF DESIGN TEAMS ANNOUNCED FOR M+

(10 December 2012, Hong Kong) The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (“WKCDA”) announced today the appointment of two Hong Kong born architects to collaborate on the architectural design of the Xiqu (Chinese opera) Centre, one of the landmark cultural venues for the West Kowloon Cultural District, scheduled to open in 2016.

The two lead architects, Bing Thom in Vancouver and Ronald Lu of Hong Kong, have formed a joint venture partnership Bing Thom Architects and Ronald Lu & Partners Company Ltd and will work with the Authority over the next 4 years to design and deliver a world-class facility for the preservation, development and promotion of this important art form of Chinese cultural heritage in Hong Kong.

Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

The Xiqu Centre will be the first of 17 core arts and cultural venues to be opened within the District. The venue will provide a platform for the Xiqu communities to interact, develop, produce the finest examples of Cantonese and other Chinese opera performances, attract new audiences, educate and collaborate with and host international cultural programmes.

Occupying a prime site of 13,800 square metres at the eastern edge of the District on the corner of Canton Road and Austin Road West, the centre will provide a gateway of access to the Cultural District. Early concept designs illustrate that the building will provide a striking entrance, a lantern for the District, employing the Moongate traditional Chinese motif and a dynamic treatment of the facade. Its flow or “qi” is expressed with curvilinear paths and forms. The architecture incorporates a generous amount of public leisure space, in addition to 2,000 square metres of training and education facilities, two superbly designed auditoria for 1,100 and 400 seats (the latter to be developed in phase 2) respectively and a traditional Tea House for performances for audiences up to 280.

Bing Thom and Ronald Lu have a wealth of relevant experience in the design of performing arts and Chinese opera venues including: Ronald Lu & Partners’ design for the first purpose-designed Chinese opera facilities in Hong Kong, the Ko Shan Theatre Annex, Hong Kong; Bing Thom Architects’ ongoing project of Shijiazhuang Grand Theatre; The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC, Vancouver, (completed in 1997) and; The Arena Stage Expansion in Washington DC (completed in 2010).

Mrs Carrie Lam, Chairman of the WKCDA Board said the Government is firmly committed to providing world-class arts and cultural facilities in the West Kowloon Cultural District, “The West Kowloon Cultural District is one of the world’s largest arts and cultural projects which will raise awareness of the rich performing arts scene in Hong Kong both locally and internationally. The positioning of the Xiqu Centre within the district will enable multi-disciplinary dialogue and interaction between Xiqu and other performing arts. By building this cultural hub, we are investing both in our future and our heritage, to celebrate Hong Kong’s unique cultural identity.”

Mr Bing Thom said on behalf of Bing Thom Architects and Ronald Lu & Partners, “The commission for Hong Kong holds a special place in my heart, a true homecoming for me – my first building in my birthplace. It is an honour to return to design a home for this most authentic Chinese performing art, the first building for the West Kowloon Cultural District. The world is fast becoming a blend of Eastern and Western cultures and Hong Kong captures this magic by nurturing and celebrating Xiqu tradition. The Xiqu Centre design is a contemporary expression of a traditional Chinese opera building to show our wonderful art form to the world. The West Kowloon Cultural District gives Hong Kong talent its world stage!”

The design team was picked unanimously by a Jury Panel made up of prominent leaders in the relevant professional and cultural sectors in Hong Kong, China and internationally: Mr. Cui Kai, Architect, China; Prof. Odile Decq, Architect/ Urbanist, France; Mr. Jordi Farrando, Architect, Spain; Mr. Lee Shing See, WKCDA Development Committee member and Chairman of the Steering Committee and Engineer, Hong Kong, China; Mr. Mao Chun Fai, Fredric, Theatre Director, Hong Kong, China; Mr. Pau Shiu Hung, Architect, Hong Kong, China and; Mr. Yuen Siu Fai, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong.

Also announced today was the shortlist of six design teams that have been invited to submit proposals for the architectural design of M+, Hong Kong’s future museum for 20th and 21st century visual culture within the District, scheduled for completion in 2017. M+ is an ambitious project, the scale of the museum building alone, at around 62,000 square metres, will be on par with the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Situated on the waterfront of the Victoria Harbour at the edge of a 14-hectare park, the architecture brief will be shaped around the museum’s core values. It will provide vital space for artists to meet, exhibit and experiment and will house a world-class permanent collection of Hong Kong, Chinese, and Asian visual culture: art, design, architecture and the moving image.

Shortlisted Design Teams

Herzog & de Meuron + TFP Farrells
Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa/SANAA
Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Shigeru Ban Architects + Thomas Chow Architects
SNOHETTA
Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects + Benoy Limited

Mrs Lam said, “The shortlist of design teams is phenomenal by any international standards. M+ will be a museum for the Hong Kong people, firmly rooted in the location and its unique culture, providing a Hong Kong perspective with a global vision.”

Between now and the opening of these first buildings, WKCDA is committed to providing a platform for arts communities to interact, engage, learn and develop and will stage an exciting programme of events in the new year, heralded by an outdoor concert and street performances festival Freespace Fest this weekend.

The District’s first cultural event was the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre which was staged at the future site of the Xiqu Centre near Canton Road during the Chinese New Year in 2012 and will be repeated on a larger scale in 2013 due to overwhelming demand. Mobile M+, a series of pop-up “nomadic” exhibitions curated by M+ scheduled to occur leading up to the opening of the M+ museum in 2017 was launched in May with Mobile M+: Yau Ma Tei, an exhibition of interventions by Hong Kong artists within the museum’s future neighbourhood. The next exhibition, Inflation! will open in March and run through to May to coincide with the first edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong while in January M+ will collaborate with the Asia Art Archive to present new work by Song Dong for an exhibition at Artistree.

Bing Thom Architects + Ronald Lu and Partners

18 + 17 Jul 2012

West Kowloon Design Competition Shortlist

Shortlisted Design Teams Announced by West Kowloon Cultural District Authority for its First Arts Venue

17 July 2012, Hong Kong – The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (“WKCDA”) announced today a shortlist of five design teams that have been invited to submit proposals for the design of the Xiqu Centre, one of the first landmark buildings for the West Kowloon Cultural District, scheduled for completion at the end of 2015.

The art and culture venues to be built in the West Kowloon Cultural District:

Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

The five shortlisted teams are (in alphabetical order):

– BTA & RLP Company Limited
– Foster + Partners with O Studio Architects
– Mecanoo architecten / Leigh & Orange
– Safdie Architects LLC
– Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd. (in collaboration with Diamond and Schmitt)

Over 50 architectural teams from all over the world expressed interest in being considered for the project. The teams were shortlisted through a selection exercise conducted by the WKCDA management assisted by an Independent Professional Advisor, and with the participation of the Jury Panel. The outcome was supported by an independent Steering Committee, which was set up to oversee the design competition, and approved by WKCDA’s Development Committee and the Board.

Aerial shot of the West Kowloon Cultural District:

Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Announcing the selected teams, Mr Louis Yu, Executive Director, Performing Arts, said, “There has been a fantastic response to our plans for the Xiqu Centre from design teams from across the world. We are working hard to find the right team to work with to fulfill our ambitions. The shortlisted teams will meet with representatives of the Chinese opera artform, engaging with stakeholders so we can conceive together a world-class building for Hong Kong and for the development and promotion of this important form of Chinese cultural heritage.”

The shortlisted design teams will be invited to submit schematic designs of their concepts before 5 October, 2012. Entries from the shortlisted design teams will be assessed by a Jury Panel made up of prominent leaders in the relevant professional and arts and culture fields from Hong Kong, Mainland China and internationally. WKCDA’s Development Committee member and Chairman of the Steering Committee, Mr LEE Shing See, is Convenor of the Jury Panel.

West Kowloon Cultural District Authority’s first cultural event, the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre, was staged at the future site of the Xiqu Centre during the Chinese New Year in 2012. Xiqu Centre occupies a prime site at the eastern edge of the West Kowloon Cultural District on the corner of Canton Road and Austin Road West. Xiqu Centre will be an icon at the eastern entrance of the arts hub:

Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

The Panel, assisted by a Technical Committee, will examine the submissions, and conduct assessment through interviews, workshops, etc., to ascertain the individual team’s ability. The teams will also be required to meet with relevant stakeholder and user groups before they set down to work on their designs. All submissions by the shortlisted design teams will be judged in accordance with the four broad categories of assessment guidelines:

– Architectural Design Aspects
– Technical Design Aspects
– Sustainable Design Aspects
– Ability to work together with the Client Team/ Consultants/ Stakeholders

The Jury Panel is expected to complete their assessment before the end of the year and recommend to WKCDA’s Development Committee and the Board a team for consideration to be appointed to design and administer the Xiqu Centre project.

Shortlisted design teams will be provided with lists of nominated Theatre Planning Sub-consultants and Acoustic Sub-consultants for selection to collaborate in achieving the optimal theatrical and acoustic standards in their designs. The sub-consultants were shortlisted after a global invitation of Expression of Interests in March.

Further details on the Design Competition are available on the WKCDA website: http://www.wkcda.hk/en/architectural_competition/xiqucentre

West Kowloon Cultural Complex Design Competition images / information received 170712

West Kowloon Competition Shortlist Architects

– BTA & RLP Company Limited

Arena Stage, Washington DC, by Bing Thom Architects (BTA):

image Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Ko-Shan Theatre Annex, Hunghom HK, by Ronald Lu and Partners (RLP):

image Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Bing Thom Architects + Ronald Lu and Partners

– Foster + Partners with O Studio Architects

Bill and Margot Winspear Opera House, Texas, USA, by Foster + Partners:

image Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Church of Seed, Luofo Mountain, China, by O Studio Architects:

image Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Foster + Partners

– Mecanoo architecten / Leigh & Orange

Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, by Mecanoo architecten:

image Courtesy of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

La Llotja Theatre and Congress Center, Lleida, Spain, by Mecanoo architecten:

image Courtesy of the WKCDA

Mecanoo + Leigh & Orange

– Safdie Architects LLC

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, Missouri, USA, by Safdie Architects LLC:

image Courtesy of the WKCDA

ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, by Safdie Architects LLC:

image Courtesy of the WKCDA

Safdie Architects

– Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd. (in collaboration with Diamond and Schmitt)

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Phase II and the Atrium Link Extension, by Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd.:

image Courtesy of the WKCDA

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Canada, by Diamond and Schmitt:

image Courtesy of the WKCDA

Wong & Ouyang + Diamond and Schmitt

9 Mar 2012

West Kowloon Design Competition

West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Announces Design Competition for its First Arts Venue

(March 9 2012, Hong Kong) The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) launched today a design competition to deliver one of the first landmark buildings for the West Kowloon Cultural District, the Xiqu Centre. The Chinese opera venue will provide a world-class facility for the preservation and development of the art form in Hong Kong and will be designed to host and produce the finest examples of Cantonese and other Chinese opera performances.

West Kowloon Complex – image : Foster + Partners

The Xiqu Centre, scheduled for completion around the end of 2015, will be the first of 17 core arts and cultural venues to be opened within the District and one of 15 proposed performing arts venues. Occupying a prime site at the eastern edge of the District on the corner of Canton Road and Austin Road West, the centre will provide a gateway of access to the Cultural District. The competition covers the design of a 1,100-seat main theatre, a 400-seat small theatre, a Tea House for performances for audiences up to 200 and ancillary training and education facilities.

Michael Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of WKCDA said, “The competition heralds a new phase of the West Kowloon Cultural District development. We are proceeding to a detailed design stage and I am looking forward to working with inspired creative teams on the realisation of our ambitions for the Cultural District.”

“Following the fantastic response to the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre performances at the start of the Year of Dragon, we know Chinese Opera has a special place in the heart of Hong Kong people. We want to find a design team that can deliver for Hong Kong a world-class home for Chinese Opera practitioners, students and audiences and a facility fitting for such an important form of Chinese cultural heritage”.

West Kowloon Complex – image by dbox branding & creative

A Steering Committee, chaired by Mr Lee Shing-see, a member of WKCDA’s Development Committee, and made up of representatives of professional institutes and arts and culture disciplines, has been appointed to oversee the competition. Interested parties can submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to WKCDA to pre-qualify for the design competition. The selection process of the design/ design consultant is set out at Annex. Deadline for submission is April 10, 2012. Further details are available on WKCDA’s website (http://www.wkcda.hk/en/architectural_competition/xiqucentre).

In due course the design teams who are shortlisted will be invited to submit schematic designs of their concepts. Entries from the shortlisted teams will be examined by a Jury Panel together with assessment through interviews. The selected team will be recommended to the Development Committee and the Board for appointment.

WKCDA also issued today an invitation for Expression of Interest for Theatre Planning and Acoustic Sub-consultants to work alongside the chosen design team.

West Kowloon Cultural District Design Competition

Selection Process of the Design/ Design Consultant for the Xiqu Centre

1. Interested parties submit Expression of Interest (EOI) to WKCDA to pre-qualify for the Xiqu Centre design competition by April 10, 2012.
2. The EOI submissions will be assessed against a set of criteria which measure their professional and financial capability, resources, past experience and track record, as well as quality assurance.
3. The WKCDA Management, led by the Steering Committee and assisted by an Independent Professional Advisor, will shortlist four to six design teams for consideration and endorsement by the Development Committee and the Board. Names of the shortlisted design teams will be posted on WKCDA’s website.
4. The shortlisted design teams will be invited to produce and submit schematic designs, models, etc., of their concepts; they will be compensated with a fee of HK$1,000,000 for preparation and upon satisfactory completion of the submission.
5. The design entries from the shortlisted design teams will be assessed by a Jury Panel of prominent leaders in the relevant professional and arts and culture fields. The Panel will examine the schematic designs, together with assessment through interviews, workshops, etc., to ascertain the individual team’s ability. The selected team will be recommended to WKCDA’s Development Committee and the Board for appointment.
6. Shortlisted design teams will be provided with lists of nominated Theatre Planning Sub-consultants and Acoustic Sub-consultants for selection to collaborate in the competition stage.

Xiqu (Chinese Opera)

Xiqu, also called Chinese Opera, is a form of performing arts which integrates singing, acting, speech, martial arts, gongs and drums, strings, costume and body movement. Xiqu performers make use of symbolic gestures and facial expression to portray the characters and communicate with the audience. According to statistics in 1950s, there were originally 360 forms of Xiqu in China. Today, more than 200 genres are still performed on stage. The best known genres including Kunqu, Cantonese Opera and Beijing Opera, were added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2001, 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Cantonese Opera is the first world intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong. In recent years, the number of Cantonese Opera performances and operatic song concerts has increased to over one thousand per year, with attendance figures for Chinese Opera performances ranked highest among the four major types of performing arts (theatre, music, dance and Xiqu).

West Kowloon Cultural Complex Design Competition images / information received 090312

West Kowloon Development

West Kowloon Cultural Complex image : Foster + Partners

6 Oct 2011

West Kowloon Development Exhibition

Final public engagement exercise for West Kowloon Cultural District masterplan design by Foster + Partners

30 Sep – 30 Oct 2011

New exhibition of West Kowloon Cultural District plans opens in Hong Kong

The proposed Development Plan is on display at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre from 30 September to 30 October 2011.

A display of the latest designs for the West Kowloon Cultural District has opened in Hong Kong. This is the third and final public engagement exercise and will last for a month, after which the scheme will be finalised for submission to the Town Planning Board around the end of 2011.

Mar 2011

West Kowloon Development

Foster + Partners selected to design masterplan for West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong

Foster + Partners has been selected for the design of the 40-hectare masterplan for West Kowloon Cultural District. City Park will be a major cultural centre for music, performing and visual arts, incorporating public spaces and spaces for Chinese culture, living, working, galleries and studios on a dramatic harbour-front site in the heart of Hong Kong. The announcement was made today by Henry Tang, Hong Kong’s chief secretary and chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, following the results of the international competition including a year-long public consultation. The project is considered to be the largest cultural initiative in the world today.

West Kowloon Cultural Complex – image by dbox branding & creative

West Kowloon Cultural Complex information from Foster + Partners

West Kowloon Cultural Complex

West Kowloon Cultural District Shortlist

Foster + Partners
Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Rocco Design Architects Limited

West Kowloon Cultural Complex – Design by Foster + Partners
1999-
Architect: Foster + Partners

20 Aug 2010

PROPOSALS LAUNCHED FOR FOSTER + PARTNERS’ CITY PARK
AT WEST KOWLOON CULTURAL DISTRICT, HONG KONG

Foster + Partners’ masterplan for West Kowloon Cultural District, on a reclaimed harbour-front site, has been launched in Hong Kong. ‘City Park’ will capture and recreate the DNA that makes Hong Kong such a great city. At its heart, a 23-hectare great park and a green avenue will provide a landscaped setting for a series of spectacular new cultural buildings – the jewels in Hong Kong’s architectural crown. These new buildings will be approachable and welcoming – places for both high culture and popular enjoyment.

The seventeen new cultural venues include a Great Opera House; M+ (a pioneering museum of modern art); concert halls; and a 15,000-seat Arena with an Expo Centre below. Arts educational facilities, apartments, offices, shops and transport links are to be fully integrated, and 2 kilometres of harbour-front promenade will give the people of Hong Kong their first chance to look back at the city’s iconic skyline. A social focus is created along a new central avenue, extending from Canton Road in the east to the Harbour Tunnel mouth in the west, along which a variety of cultural and commercial activities are integrated.

West Kowloon Cultural Complex image : Foster + Partners

West Kowloon Cultural Complex architect : Foster + Partners

West Kowloon Cultural District – design by OMA
Office for Metropolitan Architecture

West Kowloon Cultural Complex image courtesy OMA
West Kowloon Cultural District